What haven't we done...

So, for all of those who think we are on a lazy vacation in Germany...I thought I would sum up some of the things we have done since we got here. I feel like time is flying by and 5 weeks just does NOT seem enough for all the things I want to do and all the time I want to spend with family and friends. It is just never enough. I love my family so much and realize each time how much I miss Germany and being close to my family. Anyway, we definitly seem to be going none stop every day, and I cannot remember ever going to bed before 11.30pm or getting up much later than maybe 9 am at very best. Here is a list of some of the things we have done:

• Temple session
• walks with the dog
• biking in a little forest with old castle sand walls
• eating tasty bread, cheese, yoghurt, cereal, fruit etc.
• sleeping
• watching various Europe Championship Soccer games
• vacation in Greece
• swimming with my niece and nephews
• playing games with my niece and nephews
• running to various offices for my passport
• visit to the North Sea
• Grandpa birthday party
• visiting Sea Life
• watching one movie
• picking my nephews up from school with a bike
• helping my sister in law with math
• losing at Cities and Knights
• winning the new game of the year 3 times even against my ever winning brother
• Fourth of July party
• boat trip across the Steinhuder Meer to a little island
• walking across Schuetzenfest and going on the big Wheel overseeing the whole city
• checking out the City Hall in Hannover with my dad, niece and nephews, and seeing more of old downtown Hannover
• eating lots of ice cream
• enjoying a Gyro, Dönner, and Lahmacun
• buying my long awaited feta cheese, smelling like garlic and having everyone comment on how tasty it smells
• playing games with my youngest brother and parents
• singing with Henry and my brother
• visiting my friend and wife and their 24 hour old baby
• going to the zoo with my nephews and seeing every show they had once we came
• swimming in a lake close to our house
• helping my dad dig out the openings underneath our basement windows during a summer storm to prevent flooding of our basement
• having long conversations with my siblings
• baby shopping trip with my mom
• watching my nephews' soccer games and their awesome goals
• other things

Anyway, I really feel like I have been going nonestop and I have walked almost as much as on my mission. Each day we are somewhere where we walk for hours in the heat of the day, seeing things or doing things. It has definitely kept me in shape and I havent put on any more weight since I have gotten here. Maybe it is also that I usually have a late breakfast and an early dinner and skip lunch for the most part. Who knows...I am not sad, but glad that even though I stuff myself like a thanksgiving turkey each day, the pounds havent come on yet.

What else is to report? Only that on Friday night I got the most vicious back itch. My back suddenly started itching like CRAZY. I was ready to rip off my skin, and nothing we did would help. Henry scratched my back for hours with no relief, I tried all kinds of creams with no relief, and then even literally boiled my back with superhot water to make it stop and it just would NOT. I had the most miserable Friday night because I just couldn't sleep due to the itch and was just up and about all night trying to make it a little bit better. It has slowly gotten less itch but is still itching as I type. I think it is a left over from the worst sunburn I ever had. I think I really got over my vain streak now and will from now on stay out of the sun. It just doesn't seem worth it.